Luna Obscura
by Shikola Krasno . Melody Canta
Summary: When senshi and humans alike start disappearing, the outer soldiers know something has to be wrong. It's Michiru's turn to investigate while Haruka distracts the princess from her friends' disappearances, but somehow, things always have the capacity to go wrong.
1. Part I: Zero

**Luna Obscura**

**A Sailor Moon Story**

All characters are the property of Naoko Takeuchi (竹内直子) and in no way are we making money off of this, nor do we own most of this story. The plotline is heavily influenced by the _Fatal Frame_ series made by Tecmo Koei Games (originally Tecmo). Anything expressed in this story that doesn't belong to either of those is ours.

FULL SUMMARY :: When senshi and humans alike start disappearing, the outer soldiers know something has to be wrong. It's Michiru's turn to investigate while Haruka distracts the princess from her friends' disappearances, but somehow, things always have the capacity to go wrong.

Rated T for intense situations, violence, mentions of suicide, murder, death, and general horror (sounds like fun, right?).

For Part I, I (Melody) will be using the Kunrei-Shiki romanization of letters with some minor adjustments. Words will be spelled how they are written (as a direct romanization) except for _youon_, which will be spelled like they sound to an English speaker (for those of you who don't know what _youon_ is, it's things like ちゃ、しゃ、しゅ、etc.. I'll try to keep this consistent. That being said, I will not be using Japanese scripts, and I'll be translating everything that I can into English equivalents, since I hate it when people have characters randomly talking in Japanese. Anything unfamiliar to people (likely Americans, since Shikola is my test subject), I'll explain down in the Author's Notes. That being said, this is written with a romanization of the Japanese names, since that's what I grew up with, and since it's taking place in Japan.

I will also not be doing honorifics; they tend to be done sloppily in fanfiction, and because I'm translating everything else, it doesn't really make sense to keep them.

This is a collaboration between Shikola Krasno and Melody Canta. This one will be done a tiny bit differently from our last one (and if you're here from our Phoenix Wright/Calling crossover, welcome back!), as I'll be writing Part I, Shikola will do Part II, and we'll collaborate again on Part III. At the same time, if you like Dangan Ronpa or the Zero Escape series, Shikola's in charge of the first half of our crossover with that, so check that out after you're done with this chapter!

There will be mild spoilers for pretty much everything except for the Stars series (this may change; we haven't finished Part III yet), but nothing too horrible. This is AU, so don't fire back at us with canon stuff; we don't care. You can probably put things together about the Fatal Frame series from this, so there are spoilers from that, if you're worried about overthinking things.

Anyways, let Part I commence!

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><p><strong>Part I :: Zero<strong>

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><p><strong>Prologue :: Himuro<strong>

Two months ago, Motoki Furuhata had been a typical college kid, not concerned with much more than his Political Science major and running the Crown Game Center which he'd been working at since he was a junior in High School. Now, as he stared at the Himuro Mansion, he wondered whether it wouldn't be prudent to just forget about everything that had happened and return to that idyllic life.

The mansion itself was huge; he could see that just standing outside. It extended on both sides as far as the eye could see in the fog, and had at least two stories, if not three. There were places where the exterior was starting to crumble away; even the _shinmei torii_ that he'd passed under while walking up the front steps had deep scratches in it, although from what, he didn't want to think about. It would be better if he went back to town and called the police.

But no, he couldn't do that. Makoto could be in serious danger. What if she didn't have the time for him to run back?

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and opened the front door.

It was like there was a smoke machine running somewhere. There seemed to be a thin layer of mist in the air, distorting his vision enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. The door closed behind him, the sound reverberating among the wooden rafters with an air of finality. He took a deep breath and walked up the stairs into the foyer.

There was a giant hole in the floor, although it was too dark for him to see how far it extended. "Hello?" he called out on the off chance someone was down there, but there was no answer. Taking another deep breath, he moved on. Beyond the hole, there was a large folding screen set up in the middle of the room, a mask on the right side wall, and a door on the left. Figuring that if someone was in here, they would have called out before, he made his way to the door.

He found himself in a hallway, a mirror at the other end. His breathing became shallow as he realized there were ropes hanging from the ceiling. He'd heard rumors about the Himuro Mansion . . . but they couldn't be true.

Bolstering his confidence with that thought, he walked forward, ducking to avoid the ropes. Something caught his foot and he stumbled, glancing down to find his balance. How ridiculous; he was a college student who was afraid of a few legends. He took a deep breath, laughing at himself. Mamoru would tease him endlessly about this, were he here. The thought warmed him a little, and he glanced up, only to freeze at what he saw.

There was someone there. Right in front of him, inches from him, their back turned, walking towards the mirror. Motoki held his breath, watching as the man who looked completely white walked to the end of the hallway and seemingly vanished. He stared at the open air for a moment before rubbing his eyes. No way. He must have seen that wrong, that was all. People didn't just _vanish_, they went somewhere, so maybe that mirror wasn't a mirror or had a secret door in it . . .

Stumbling forward now, he put his hands against the mirror, feeling all around it for some secret latch or a lever or something to reveal where the man had went. "Hello!" he shouted. "This isn't funny!"

Silence.

He whipped his backpack off, rummaging around for the notebook inside. The pen he took out of his pocket, removing the cap with his teeth before squatting against a wall and starting to write.

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><p><em>I don't know what's going on here. I know the legends of the Himuro Mansion, of course I do. The land was originally home to a sacred Shinto ritual (though neither Umino nor I could find any information on this ritual), but the last master of the Himuro family line massacred his entire family. They say that those spirits still haunt the mansion. Every time I try to justify those with my experiences though, I think of Ami, who would never take something like that as an answer. There has to be a logical explanation for everything I've seen so far.<em>

_Either way, I'm not going to stick around. I'm going to find Makoto and whoever else is still in here, and then we're all going to get out of here. Hopefully they're close._

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><p>Motoki ripped the page from the notebook, folding it in half and placing it on the ground. He didn't want to think about it, but if something happened to him, someone would need to know he was still in here. The number of people he thought could be in here was . . . it was too many to believe. Makoto, Minako, Rei, Mamoru, Umino, Naru . . . all of them had gone missing, one after the other. Luckily, Umino had left a trail after he'd left to look for Makoto, and Motoki had traced it here, to the Himuro Mansion.<p>

Hopefully, he would find them all and be the last to ever step into this place again.

He stood, putting all of the items back before looking around. The door to his right was locked, so he took the door to his left, which led to a large room with a fireplace in it. It was dark in there, and he cursed himself for not remembering to bring a flashlight, but there was light emitting from somewhere on the second floor, so he headed for the stairs in the hope that it was a lantern or something portable. As he walked towards the staircase, he felt eyes on him, and he shuddered before quickening his step. He just needed to find the others and get out of here.

Find the others and get out of here, he repeated to himself.

He jogged up the steps, repeating his new mantra. As he approached the second floor, he could see that the light was indeed a lantern, and he walked over to it, his relief growing immediately as he gained a light source. He was sure that the crazy things he'd been seeing had to be tricks of his imagination, but at least the light helped to ease his mind a little. He straightened, looking around for another door, but the only one he could see was right in front of him, and it appeared to be locked. He swung around to go back down the stairs and something flew at him, knocking him back against the wall. His vision blurred, but he could feel something around his neck, and he fought back instinctively, his hands scrambling before he had even realized what it was. Or, rather, who it was.

The man from before, the one who had disappeared into the wall, was straddling him, strangling him with both hands. That wasn't the problem (well, it was, but that was beside the point). The man was completely white. Colorless. It was like he was projected in the fog, and had Motoki not felt the hands on his throat or felt the weight on his stomach, he would have thought that the man wasn't even there. No, this man was real. With a cry, he pushed the man away, and the man vanished momentarily, leaving Motoki enough time to get to his feet. He knew where an opened door was, and he wasn't about to wait around any longer. He threw himself down the stairs, jumping over the railing when he saw the man lunge behind him again, and sprinted for the door to the hallway. He slammed the door shut behind him as he exited the fireplace room, and doubled over, breathing hard. The door rattled, and he froze, wondering why in the world he had thought a door would discourage a ghost, but it stayed shut and he stayed safe.

Still panting, he walked back down the hallway. _Ofuda_, he decided. He would need lots of _ofuda_. Hell, he'd carry around an entire _shiisaa_ in his backpack if it would ward off that man. Either way, he was _not_ equipped to deal with what was in the mansion at this moment, and he needed to get out _now_.

There were footsteps coming from behind him. He almost took off running again, but they were different. First of all, the evil spirit hadn't actually touched the ground, but secondly, he knew those footsteps. They were familiar, and he turned, overjoyed, before light suddenly flooded his vision, the image of a beautiful woman imprinting itself on the inside of his eyelids.

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><p><strong>AN ::**

**Melody Canta ::**

**And, there's the prologue. It's short; I'll try to get the first chapter up as soon as possible. Motoki's kind of hard to write as, since we never really get his point of view . . . anywhere.**

**A few notes about how this proceeds: I'll be meandering about the Himuro Mansion with as much detail as I can think of. I'll be referring to the rooms with their defining features. In the Fatal Frame games, you get a map that you slowly fill in. Seeing as it would be ridiculous for any character to be drawing a map, let alone naming some of the rooms what they're called (it's worse in later games, but still . . .), so I'll be calling them by the distinctive features I describe them with. That being said, if something doesn't make sense, let me know. The mansion is giant and the rooms don't connect together logically, so I may screw up from time to time.**

**This will be the last chapter I write as Motoki (thank goodness, right?), so you can speculate what happens to him.**

**Off to the next character!**

**Japanese notes:**

**_shinmei torii_**** :: A type of gate that marks entrance to a sacred place. ****_Shinmei_****_torii_**** are some of the more simple ****_torii_****, though it is made completely out of wood rather than the rope that marks ****_shime torii_**** (the torii you see at the ****_Hikawa Shrine_****).**

_**shiisaa **_**:: Okinawan mythology has a creature that is very similar to the guardian lions in Chinese mythology called a ****_shiisaa_****. They look somewhere between a lion and a dog, and most often you can see them in pairs. When Motoki talks about carrying one around, he wants one with its mouth open, which is said to ward off evil spirits (while the one with the closed mouth keeps good spirits in). While ****_komainu_**** are more common, ****_shiisaa_**** tend to be smaller, which is why it's more likely Motoki could carry one around.**

**Shikola Krasno :: I'm not a part of the first Fatal Frame run, but I'll comment anyways!**

**Yeah, as far as locations go, unless we could draw you guys a map (not that ours would be very pretty), they're just going to be tricky. That's only going to get more and more complicated with each Fatal Frame story too. In the first one it's all in and around the Himuro Mansion. In the second (which is where I'll take over), it's all over a creepy old village (so many different rooms in different buildings to worry about). And finally in the third one (where we'll both have stuff to do), one ENORMOUS mansion is magically connected to the Himuro mansion as well, plus there's what will be Ami's house to navigate through.**

**Poor Motoki. Honestly, we just needed a guy for the part of the prologue guy (in the game he's the brother of the main girl, but we chose Motoki mostly because of who our rope shrine maiden will be). Of course prologue guy is an important part of the story, so you'll see Motoki again soon enough.**

**Good to have the ball rolling again! I'm working on that Dangan Ronpa/Zero Escape story, but with school back in session I'm having a rough time working through my homework schedule. Hopefully I'll have the first chapter ready soon. Otherwise, if you're just here for Sailor Moon Fatal Frame stuff, I'll see you when Michi's story ends!**

**EDIT: Took out Unazuki's character due to later developments, 20/11/14. MC.**


	2. The Unknown

**Chapter One :: The Unknown**

Michiru parked the car on the shoulder of the highway, satisfied with her work. Though she wasn't a perfect driver by any means (in fact, Haruka said she was damn scary, though Michiru attributed that to the fact that her girlfriend never let her drive anywhere), she'd managed to get close enough to the Himuro Mansion that she could now walk. Of course a haunted mansion wouldn't have a road going to it, she mentally complained, stepping out of the car. That would be far too easy.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she started up the overgrown path, congratulating herself on the choice of jeans and hiking boots, two things that she rarely wore. After all, a world-class violinist would never let herself be caught out in the wilderness, and, well, all the times she had been, she'd used her _henshin_ wand to get out of it.

Of course, being a senshi as well as a world-class violinist made her a deadly combination. The topics of conversation in the upper echelons of society were available to her, and once the topics had turned to the other missing senshi, Michiru knew there had to be a problem. As an Outer Senshi, she couldn't call herself as familiar with the Inners as she'd have liked, especially now that most of them had vanished, but she'd never found a problem she and Haruka couldn't tackle, and hopefully, this was no different. After all, if things got too bad, they still had Usagi, and while they might not have the same bond as the Inner senshi, the Outer senshi were more than capable in comparison.

Trudging up the path, she gave a sigh. This was all because of the Shitennou, or so she'd like to say. After all, if they hadn't disappeared, then Mamoru wouldn't have went to look for them and everything wouldn't have gone downhill from there. Rei and Minako were next to leave, spurred into action by their princess's depression, and Makoto had left after them, which was when the media had caught wind that there were suddenly a lot more missing people than the senshi wished there were. Gurio Umino, a man who Michiru had only actually met once, had taken his girlfriend and they'd never come back, and now, only three days ago, Motoki himself had decided to look for them and disappeared.

Honestly, she could strangle them all. They might not know that the others were Sailor Senshi, but seriously, what did they think they could do? On top of being senshi, Rei was a skilled archer, and Makoto was a martial artist. If something had taken the two of them down, it was unlikely that mere humans who had no training in the face of danger would be able to save them.

She passed under the first _torii_ gate, glancing at the scratches deep in the wood. While this was the wilderness, it wasn't too far from the highway, and whatever had made those scratches had to be big. A very large bear, perhaps? Undoubtedly a Deep Submerge could take down a bear, but her senses still prickled, trying to alert her that something was wrong here. She looked around, then stopped on the path, taking the Deep Sea Mirror from her purse. She tilted it at a few different angles, trying to dispel any illusions, but nothing disappeared. She wondered if she should have left it with Haruka instead, but since it was a major weapon and she wasn't sure what she was going to be facing, she'd taken it, reassuring Haruka that they could communicate with their watches if anything went wrong.

She put the mirror back in her bag and stared at her wrist. She had a feeling, nothing more, but she'd promised Haruka she'd get out at the first sign of trouble. Besides, thanks to the sea, her feelings tended to be right. She closed her eyes, thinking it over for a moment. If she was being honest, the disappearance of the senshi concerned her, and she wanted them back as soon as possible. That being said, she'd be no help if she got caught in the same trap they had. She tapped her finger against her temple. She had options, no doubt about it. Still, she wasn't positive that the senshi were actually here, and her feelings were just that: feelings. She'd go on, and the moment something actually happened, she'd leave. After all, there was no use in going back if she didn't even know what they were up against.

She hiked up the path for a few more minutes until a giant mansion came into view. The Legendary Himuro Mansion, spread out in all of its glory. Michiru's nose wrinkled as the scent of dust permeated the air almost a full kilometer away. Either no one had been here in fifty years, or the dust had been recently kicked up by movement, which made sense, if one was following Motoki's footsteps.

Once again, she took out her mirror, still trying to figure out what felt so wrong about this place. When nothing revealed itself, she walked closer, stopping when she finally reached the front steps. Yes, she could feel _something_. The constant prickling was starting to give her a headache. She put the mirror back into her bag after checking around once again, and finally opened the cover on her Communicator watch. It immediately dialed Uranus, and after a moment, Haruka picked up. _"You still okay?"_ she asked, her voice slightly muffled.

"Yeah, I just got to the mansion."

_"Any problems?"_ Once again, her voice sounded muffled, and Michiru furrowed her eyebrows.

"What are you doing?"

There was a pause, and then a sarcastic, _"Do you know how hard it is to put on a shirt without covering up your wrist?"_

"Just put on the shirt." Michiru rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's antics, and after a moment, once the sound of rustling fabric had died down, she chuckled. "You just got out of bed?"

_"Some of us didn't feel the need to get up at the crack of dawn. Besides, like Usagi's going to wake up early for driving lessons."_

"As long as you manage to distract her for a while, I'll keep getting some information on what we're facing."

Haruka yawned. _"Right, right. So, anything so far?"_

"Not yet."

_"That didn't sound very confident."_

Michiru rolled her eyes. "I've got a feeling."

_"The sea's stormy?"_ Her voice was light, teasing, but Michiru knew she was at least semi-serious about all of it. After all, Michiru's intuition had saved them a few times.

"Something like that."

Haruka gave a sigh. _"Well, just remember. If things get weird, get out, okay?"_

"What, you don't think I can handle it?"

_"I didn't say that. But I thought the Inners could handle themselves too, and obviously, something's going on with them."_

Michiru gave a small smile. "I'll be fine. But yes, I'll turn and run if there's any problems."

_"Good. I love you."_

"I love you too. Oh, and Haruka?"

_"Hm?"_

"The ghosts of the Himuro Mansion say hi."

Haruka gave a splutter and Michiru disconnected, laughing. Though she'd have never admitted it, one of the reasons Haruka hadn't wanted to take on the Himuro Mansion alone was the legends, something which didn't bother Michiru in the slightest. Perhaps it was the fact that she had her mirror outside of her transformation, but she felt safe, protected from whatever was lurking out there. Bolstered by that thought, she put her hand on the door handle and turned.

Dust kicked up immediately as she entered, though footsteps were obvious on the ground in front of her. Someone had been in here recently, which was a good sign. Motoki, perhaps? Of course, it was possible he hadn't made it to the mansion at all, but she didn't really want to contemplate that possibility, especially if it consisted of walking around the forest to find him. Yes, she would much prefer if he was hiding somewhere in here, hopefully with the Shitennou, the missing Senshi, and all of the people who had been swept up in the excitement of the mystery.

She walked up the stairs, following the footsteps. The foyer was large, although there was a giant hole in the middle of the floor. A folding screen was on the other side, and there was a mask on the right side and a door to the left. She followed the footsteps, walking over to the door. Her hand rested on the doorknob as the prickling feeling started up again. Irritated, she threw the door open and stomped through. If her sixth sense wasn't going to be helpful, then she'd just have to start ignoring it.

And then she froze.

There was something right behind her. She could hear the creaking of the floor. Her hand grabbed her mirror, the other digging into her pocket for her _henshin_ wand, and she turned her head. There was a man in all white, with white hair; for a moment, she assumed that it was Kunzite, but no, the hair was wrong, and where Kunzite had always walked with a straight back and an arrogant glint in his eyes, this man was hunched over, limping towards the folding screen at the back of the room.

Limping the way he was, he wasn't a threat, and she pocketed her wand before running to him. "Sir!" she said, trying to catch his attention, but as she reached out for his arm, he vanished, a tiny flame left in his place. Wary now, she brought out her mirror, shining it on the wisp floating in midair, and Naru's face appeared in the mirror, her voice echoing around the empty room.

"The ropes . . . there are so many ropes now . . ."

Though Michiru's experiences with Naru were few, even she could tell that the girl's voice had a harried quality to it, like she was terrified. The wisp disappeared, leaving Michiru staring into the air. After a moment, she noticed a folded piece of paper on the floor, and she picked it up, unfolding it.

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><p><em>And there's another rope! And another!<em>

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><p>The handwriting was neat and orderly, even if the message itself seemed like nonsense. She pocketed the note, walking back over to the door. Something weird was going on here, which meant that Motoki and the others could be in serious danger. She followed the footsteps, realizing what Naru had been talking about as soon as she stepped into the hallway. There were ropes hanging from the rafters, which made Michiru shiver. No wonder Naru had sounded scared; just the sight was enough to unsettle anyone.<p>

There was something at the end of the hallway, Michiru could tell, but it was getting too dark for her to see. Where the roof had enough holes in it over the foyer, the hallway seemed to be completely covered. She dug through her bag, pulling out the flashlight she'd brought. She switched it on, and paused at the strange sight.

There was a mirror at the end of the hallway, and on the floor right in front of it, was a small, old-fashioned camera. Gently, she crept towards it, reaching her hand out. As soon as she touched the wood of the case, images flashed through her mind. A blonde man stood in the hallway, his eyes transfixed on something that seemed to be standing behind her. She looked back, but all she saw was a flash of brown hair, and then it was over. Michiru stared at her own reflection in the mirror. She was pale, though she would have counted that as stranger had she not just seen what she had. Her aqua hair stuck up at strange angles, and her lips trembled with each breath she released.

Something wasn't making sense, that much she knew. She took a deep breath, assessing her options.

She could leave, like she'd promised Haruka. If what she'd seen was any indication, she'd learned that Motoki had been in some sort of danger. The details were fuzzy, but between him and Naru, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know.

Or, she could stay and go further in the mansion. She hadn't transformed yet, though that would likely be necessary if she decided to go on. She herself hadn't experienced any danger, and it was possible that her talisman would protect her from everything. She took out her mirror, staring into it.

If she left now, she'd be abandoning the others until she and Haruka could investigate without sparking the princess's concern, which could take a while. Could the others survive that long? Minako and Rei had already been missing for almost two weeks. If they were injured or trapped, they could be nearing the end of their lives.

It was decided then. She would continue as long as she could on her own. If it proved to be too much for her, she would turn back, but she couldn't turn her back on her friends, not yet.

She picked up the camera, noticing the small stack of folded papers under it. She slipped the camera into her bag, assuming it would come in handy later, and picked up the top note. The handwriting, she recognized, was Motoki's.

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><p><em>I don't know what's going on here. I know the legends of the Himuro Mansion, of course I do. The land was originally home to a sacred Shinto ritual (though neither Umino nor I could find any information on this ritual), but the last master of the Himuro family line massacred his entire family. They say that those spirits still haunt the mansion. Every time I try to justify those with my experiences though, I think of Ami, who would never take something like that as an answer. There has to be a logical explanation for everything I've seen so far.<em>

_Either way, I'm not going to stick around. I'm going to find Makoto and whoever else is still in here, and then we're all going to get out of here. Hopefully they're close._

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><p>So he had been here for the same reason she had. If the flashes she had been shown were correct, he hadn't made it much farther, however, and she frowned.<p>

The next set of papers were stapled together, all of them in the same handwriting as the note she'd found behind the folding screen.

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><p><em>I promised Umino I would help, and he immediately set me on a task to find a book about different Shinto rituals all over Japan. He says that we want to be prepared before we enter the Himuro Mansion, and I agree . . . but I'm not really sure why we need a folklore book.<em>

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><p><em>So, I couldn't find the book, but I did some checking about the author, Kazuyuki Sogabe. He's originally from Egypt . . . with a Japanese name. There's nothing about him until he joined Tokyo Metropolitan University, and then all of a sudden, he just disappears. I did find a Missing Persons report, and the picture on his Author's Bio looks really similar. If it is him, he disappeared around the same time as three other men, so I might do some looking around about them too.<em>

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><p><em>It looks like the earthquake that happened last month and the murders in that village we talked about last week are somehow connected to the Himuro Mansion. Umino's talking about putting it into his first novel; he seems really into this stuff too. Of course, he wants to find the others, now that Makoto's disappeared too, but still . . . I don't really like it.<em>

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><p>The final sheet of paper was the Missing Persons report Unazuki had referenced earlier.<p>

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><p><em>MISSING: 4 Unknown Men<em>

_The four were last seen at Tokyo Metropolitan University. Documents reference All Gods' Village. If you have any information about their whereabouts or the reference, please contact the police._

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><p>A picture was stapled to the bottom, and Michiru gasped as she looked into the faces of the men. From left to right was Jadeite, Zoicite, Nephrite, and Kunzite. Was Naru really insinuating that one of them had written the book that Umino was looking for? Why? What was the point?<p>

At least it was a place to start. She shoved all of the documents in her bag before setting it on the floor and pulling out her henshin wand.

"Neptune Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Thirty seconds later, she was a senshi, complete with the tiny miniskirt and heels to match. She sighed. If only she could use her senshi powers in civilian form. The jeans and boots had been a much sturdier alternative, not to mention the dust was going to cling to her legs and that draft was kind of cold. She picked her bag back up, slinging it over her shoulder, and followed the footsteps once again.

There was a giant fireplace in the middle of this room, with knickknacks stacked on the dressers pressed up against the wall and one ornamental lion's mask that Michiru thought would have to be heavy, since it looked like it was made out of stone. She shone her flashlight over everything, walking over to another folded up piece of paper on top of a dresser. This handwriting was unfamiliar, though based on Naru's notes, she could guess whose it was.

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><p><em>Ahahahahaha! My first novel is going to be FANTASTIC! I've done my research, and now, it's just time for some firsthand knowledge!<em>

_Here's the plot: A series of murders happens in a country village, and dead bodies start showing up with wounds similar to old Shinto rituals. The main character is a man who is sworn to revenge after his wife dies like this. He'll be more and more influenced by the legends, and suddenly, he'll be transported to the past, to fight against the spirit who is influencing the present! It'll be a bestseller for sure!_

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><p>Michiru fought the urge to bury her face in her hands. She'd barely spoken to Umino, for good reason, it seemed. As a lover of literature, she couldn't imagine this book ever becoming a bestseller. And to think, he had dragged poor Naru? Hardly forgivable.<p>

Luckily, his next note was a bit more interesting.

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><p><em>The Himuro Mansion was originally owned by (guess who) the Himuro family, but even before that, it was said to be the place where a Shinto ritual was performed. Supposedly the details of the ritual were passed down generation to generation, but it seems that they kept the ritual a deep, dark secret. They weren't supposed to speak the name, or talk about it at all, so almost no records exist, aside from some local legends. Kazuyuki Sogabe's book is supposed to outline them, but Naru says she can't find a copy. Still, it makes me wonder how he learned them.<em>

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><p>Indeed, Michiru agreed. If Kazuyuki Sogabe was truly one of the Shitennou, how had he learned the legends well enough to write a book about them? Perhaps she was wrong? The coincidence seemed a bit too convenient though.<p>

She stuffed the note with the others and walked towards the stairs in the back of the room. She'd barely taken two steps when her eyes widened at Motoki's profile walking up the stairs. Like the man before, he was completely white, and his head was bowed, but he didn't walk with a limp. "Motoki!" she shouted, wondering if this was just a trick of her eyes. She bounded up the stairs, but he was already walking through what looked like a wall from where she was standing, but revealed itself to be a door once she got closer.

There was a strange murmuring behind the door, and she pulled on the handle, but it stayed stubbornly shut—a bronze padlock barring the path. "Motoki!" she shouted, pounding on the door. "Furuhata, can you hear me?" The murmuring continued, and she slid down against the door, racking her brain for ideas. There was no way he could have entered and put the padlock on at the same time, but it was similarly impossible that he could have opened the door with the lock on it!

"HELLO!"

Michiru jumped, saying some very unsavory words as she turned around, looking for whatever had just shouted. "Hello?" she asked, waving her flashlight around.

"HI!" The voice was closer this time, although she still couldn't see anyone. She swung the flashlight around slowly, trying to find the source of the voice. "Down here!"

She aimed the light at the floor. Standing just a few inches away from her was a small, caramel-colored Pomeranian. His tail was wagging furiously as he looked up at her, panting. "HELLO! I'M MISSILE!"

Michiru blinked. "Hello, Missile." Talking dog. She was talking to a . . . talking dog. Honestly, with as weird as this place had been, and the fact that she knew three talking cats fairly well, a talking dog named Missile was not completely out of the question. "What are you doing here?"

"Saying hello."

"Well, obviously, but—" she cut herself off, taking a deep breath. Already she could tell she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. With a sigh, she shook her head. "What were you doing before you saw me?"

Missile whimpered. "I saw are scary people."

"Scary people?"

He put his paws over his eyes. "Uh huh. They shout and chase me around until I bark at them and then I run again."

It sounded like Missile was having a hard time in the mansion. Of course, the "scary people" he was mentioning were concerning; it sounded like she was right once again. The Himuro Mansion was hiding something ugly. "Do you want to walk around with me then?"

He sidled up to her, and she scratched him behind the ear. "Where are we going?"

It was a good question, to be honest. "Let's look around."

She had already exhausted the doors inside of the fireplace room, so she entered the Rope Hallway again to pull on the other door, but it was also locked.

Where in the world was she supposed to go now? Umino and Naru had managed to get past there, so it had to be possible. She entered the fireplace room again, looking around. She couldn't see anything strange. She reached in her bag for her mirror. Maybe it was just an illusion that was keeping her from seeing a door.

"What about this door?" Missile asked, bounding up to the folding screen next to the stairs.

She smiled fondly at the dog. Despite the small amount of time she had spent with him, she was already a bit fond of him; he reminded her of Haruka when she was at her most enthused. "That's not a door. It's just a folding screen."

He wagged his tail. "But I've been through it before!"

That had her pausing. "What do you mean?"

"There's a hallway behind it! It's where one of the scary ladies likes to stay!"

Michiru aimed her mirror at the screen. Nothing happened. With a sigh, she went to put it back in her bag, before realizing that the filament on the camera was glowing blue. Carefully, she raised the camera, looking through the viewfinder. There were weird runes on the lens. "Way to ruin a picture," she muttered. Nothing happened until she took a step closer. The runes suddenly lit up and a blue circle formed in the center.

What was going on?

She snapped a picture, and a piece of instant film fell from the camera. Michiru picked it up, expecting to have to wave it around like other instant films, but it was completely developed already, a picture of a door on it. She looked up, confused (after all, how had she taken a picture of a folding screen and had a door show up?) but it was like the folding screen had never been there. There wasn't even a line in the dust where it had once been.

"See? I told you!" Missile said, running circles around her!

How had he known? She stared at the dog for a long minute before turning her attention to the door.

Ordinarily she might have been a bit more cautious, since she was adamant that there had been a folding screen there before she'd taken the picture, but she didn't have the luxury of time and she needed to find a way to get into the room Motoki had somehow managed to shut himself in. Even the votive lamps hanging from the ceiling, while certainly creepy, didn't give her pause. The little blue flame just inside of the door, however, did.

Once again, she pulled out her mirror, Naru's face appearing again in it. "Where is the key? Where is it!?" she asked, and then disappeared from the mirror's visage.

The key? Could Naru be looking for the same key she was now looking for?

She continued down the hall, mulling this information over. There was a door to her left as she rounded the corner, and then a large closet door at the end, and another door in an alcove to the right. The one to the left was the only one she could open, despite pulling on the closet door with all of her strength and then some. She eyed her mirror. Would a Deep Submerge take it down, she wondered briefly, and then tossed the thought aside. At least one door opened now; if, for some reason she would need in it later, she could always use her powers then.

She sighed. Usually she had to be the one reining Uranus in. Without her, it was getting a little too easy to pounce on some of her less brilliant ideas . . .

She opened the door that _would_ open, stepping into another dusty room. It was mostly blocked off with folding screens, but there was a dresser at the other end of the room. As soon as she approached it, however, Missile growled, making her jump. She took out her mirror, and, now able to see around the screens, glanced around. A man was walking across the room, but she only saw him for a second before he disappeared. She stared at the sight, her mouth hanging open.

He had vanished.

Completely.

No trace left.

Nothing.

What the hell was going on?

She walked into the center of the room, staring at the floor. He'd stopped right there. Logically, he should still be there.

She pulled out her mirror, checking around with it once again before groaning in irritation. Obviously her mirror couldn't handle whatever was going on here.

Missile was still growling. She turned to him, only to realize that it couldn't be him; he was staring up at her with wide eyes, tail wagging once again. What the hell was that noise anyways?

She tracked it down to a closet hidden behind yet another folding screen, throwing the door open in irritation. She was so done with this place. So. Done.

The source of the noise happened to be a tape recorder, and she made yet another irritated groan before reaching inside to shut it off. Her fingers brushed against it, and suddenly, the images flooded in again, just like they had when she'd grabbed the camera. This time, however, she could see Naru, running down the halls, calling for help. After a moment, she opened at the door in the hallway, the one that had led into this room, and raced inside, heading for the closet and shutting herself inside. Michiru's vision stayed outside of the closet, listening to Naru's unsteady breaths. After a second, movement made her turn her head towards the dresser. There was someone there, in a white robe, her head bowed.

Michiru's breath caught.

The person turned around, approaching the door a few steps at a time. As she approached, Naru whimpered, scrambling back against the back wall. "No, no, please, no, stop, please," she was whispering, tears coursing down her face, and Michiru stepped back, but the woman ignored her, walking towards the closet and kneeling down to Naru's level, blocking Michiru's view of the girl.

The room filled with Naru's screams.

Michiru started, as if she was waking up from a dream. The visions seemed to immobilize her body, but it seemed like she was safe, for now.

Still . . .

_Makoto_?

The woman in the white robes closely resembled the guardian of Jupiter. What had Makoto done to Naru? And, a better question; where was Naru now?

She grabbed the tape recorder this time, her hands closing around cool metal without any images. Oddly enough, it wasn't playing anything, even though there was a tape in it and the noise was still going. She furrowed her eyebrows, and, curiosity getting the better of her, pressed Play on the recorder.

Naru's voice came from the device, which made her sigh in relief, as she wasn't quite sure what she was going to hear. _"This is white tape number one. Okay, it looks like it's recording! __Anyways, we've had to ask where the mansion is from the locals, since it's not really on any map, but they keep warning us to stay away from it. Umino keeps telling me that we'll be fine, but I can't help but wonder . . ."_ The recording cut off, and Michiru sighed. Naru seemed to have a good amount of common sense. If only she'd listened to that before going into the mansion.

She stuffed the tape recorder into her bag and pulled out her mirror for reassurance. She would have called Haruka, had she been able to keep her voice from shaking, but she was sure that with what had happened in the last two minutes, she wouldn't be able to put on a brave enough face to fool the princess for long and Haruka would be too worried to sit things out. She buried her head in her hands and took a deep breath. She needed to find them now more than ever.

Michiru stepped back from the closet, casting her eye around the room before freezing. Had that door been open before?

Had there even been a door there?

Pressed against the opposite wall from the door she'd entered was an open sliding door. Had the noise distracted her so much that she'd failed to notice an open door? As a senshi, she was trained for such things; she always looked. Then again, this mansion had her confused and distracted already . . .

"There's a scary lady in there!"

Michiru jumped. She'd completely forgotten about her canine companion, thanks to the weird visions she'd received with the tape recorder. She swept her flashlight into the opening, but most of her vision was blocked by the intricate kimono that were propped up in the middle of the room on stands. "How can you tell?"

"I hear noises."

Noises could mean multiple things, including a senshi or even Naru. Perhaps the visions that she'd just had were warning her that Naru was nearby. Though the girl wouldn't be the most useful companion, she would be one off the list, and best of all, she would be _safe_.

Without hesitation, she entered the room, tempted to just push her way through the kimono before realizing just how much dust was clinging to the silk. Besides, she would be blinded momentarily, whereas if there was anyone on the other side, she might have a chance to gain the element of surprise.

She crept around, peeking her head around from behind a kimono.

Standing in the middle of the room was Naru Osaka. Much like Motoki had been when she'd seen him, she was moving, although her movements were jerky as she paced around. There was something unnatural, Michiru decided, especially over the fact that Naru's clothing choice was pure white and her hair was a muted shade of red. Sure, there was a lot of dust around here, but . . . Michiru pulled some of her hair from her face to study it. It had a dusting of grey, which she wrinkled her nose at. Perhaps it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that Naru's would be similar, after almost a week in the Himuro Mansion . . .

"Naru," she said, stepping out from behind the kimono. The girl didn't move, although there was a strange moaning coming from her. Was she perhaps injured? "Osaka!" she said, this time a little more forcefully, stepping towards the girl.

This time Naru reacted.

This time, Michiru realized something was wrong.

It wasn't just her clothing that was white. Everything was white, down to the pupils of her eyes. Her face was bloodless, her mouth stuck in a silent scream. "Help," she whimpered, and then suddenly, she lunged towards Michiru.

The feeling that seized Michiru when Naru's hands closed over her arms was cold and wet. She felt distinctly like she had been dunked in arctic waters, and she jerked back, not comprehending. How could the woman look like Naru, but feel like . . . that?

And she was still calling out for help.

And lunging.

The second time their skin connected was enough to make Michiru's knees give out. It hadn't been a fluke . . . A daimon? No, those had been gone when they'd defeated the Death Busters . . .

Still, no way around it. She would need to fight back somehow. She grabbed her mirror from her bag, thrusting it out towards the girl. "Submarine Reflection!"

The usual blast of water came, but Naru didn't even flinch. It was like the attack hadn't affected her . . . but how!? And if her senshi powers didn't work . . . how could she get out of this?

She circled around Naru, avoiding the girl's attempts at grabbing her again. Unfortunately, Deep Submerge and Submarine Violon Tide had only proven to be effective in making the tatami flooring slick. Until she could think of something, she was stuck hoping that Naru would stop on her own.

Naru lunged again, and Michiru stepped to the side, her bag catching on the dresser next to her. It slid off her shoulder and tumbled onto the floor, the papers and camera tumbling out.

The filament on the camera was red.

What if . . . ?

She threw herself towards the camera, jerking her leg out of Naru's range at the last minute. As soon as she raised the camera to her face, the runes began to glow, one after the other: right, bottom, left, top. She waited until Naru began her next attack, facing Michiru for only a split second before beginning, and-

Michiru snapped the picture.

There was a scream, and Naru was thrown back, as if Michiru had physically struck her. After a moment, she disappeared completely.

Michiru didn't dare put the camera down now. She continued to peer through the viewfinder, her ears pricked for any unusual sound. After a moment, she relaxed. The filament on the camera was dark.

Whatever was going on, there seemed to be a few truths inside of the Himuro Mansion that didn't apply anywhere else.

1. Senshi powers didn't work and had actually made avoiding Naru harder, with the wet floor.

2. There had to be something supernatural going on, with the feeling that she'd gotten when Naru had grabbed her. She had no clue what it was, but her knees were still weak from the damage that she'd sustained.

3. The camera was both her weapon and guide. When it glowed blue, it was able to show her things like hidden doors. When it glowed red, it could inflict damage on attackers.

All three of these facts combined were spelling out a possibly disastrous fate for the senshi. Michiru sighed, rolling her shoulders. Naru's attacks had taken a lot out of her, and running for so long in heels was tiring, no matter how many times she did it. While transformed, she had accelerated healing, but while untransformed, she had jeans and boots . . . She weighed the pros and cons.

"Is she gone?" Missile asked. He was peeking out from behind the kimono, his head bowed.

"It looks like it. You can stop hiding now." She smiled at him, extending her hand to show that she wasn't angry at him for not interfering. She wasn't sure what he could have done in that altercation.

"She's scary," he whimpered.

"Indeed." It looked like if she wanted to get Naru out of here, she would need to stop whatever was influencing her. "Well, Missile, unless you see anything, let's get moving, okay?" Michiru took out her camera once again, watching the filament as she and Missile walked together. So far, the filament on the camera had been a decent guide. As they passed the dresser across from the door, it suddenly lit up blue, and she looked through the viewfinder until she could see an empty mirror stand in her view, a blue circle on the lens in front of it, just like the door had been in the fireplace room. What would happen this time? Would it disappear too?

She snapped the picture, and the camera spit out the picture, making Michiru wonder. When she had taken those pictures of Naru, no film had been printed. She tried to open the film compartment, only to realize that it was welded on. Hopefully she didn't need to refill her film anytime soon. The blue circles and filament signified printed pictures then? She looked at the one that had just printed. It had a picture of an ornamental lion's mask, and she recognized it from the one in the fireplace room. The mirror stand seemed completely unaffected by the picture, however, and Michiru sighed. Perhaps something had happened to the mask in the picture. "Come on," she urged Missile, who obediently followed after a quick yip.

They exited the room with kimono and reentered the room where the tape recorder had been. Everything seemed normal in here too, so she made her way to the hallway, stopping suddenly with her hand on the doorknob as Missile started growling again.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

His fur was standing on end. "I can feel something."

Indeed, her own sixth sense was going crazy, but it had been going crazy since she had stepped into the mansion. "Where?"

"On the other side of the door."

She now faced a serious problem. She needed to leave, but if Missile was indeed telling the truth, she could be unprepared for whatever was behind the door. She readied her camera, stashing the flashlight in her bag so she could hold the camera and open the door at the same time. Missile's growling increased in volume, and Michiru pushed the door wide open, camera at the ready.

Nothing happened.

She waited another few seconds before letting out the breath she'd been holding. "I don't see anything," she said, dropping the camera and crossing the threshold.

There was a bloodcurdling scream and Michiru felt herself being tackled to the ground. Once again, the feeling of being drowned washed over her, and she cursed under her breath. A glimpse of red hair confirmed her suspicions; Naru was gathering herself for another attack, and Michiru was determined not to be in the middle of this one. Her legs weak and shaking, she crawled to the camera, managing to turn and snap a picture just in time. Once again, Naru recoiled, but this time, after a moment, she recovered, going in for another attack.

This was new. Still, Michiru didn't have time to think it through. She took another picture, and this time, Naru jerked back and disappeared like she had before. Two shots. The camera wasn't omnipotent against these things, it seemed, which meant that Michiru would have to be careful. For the moment, however, she dragged herself to the wall, resting. Missile, who she had forgotten about again in the resulting confusion, stepped onto her lap, wiggling his head under her hand and whining. "I know, you told me so," she murmured without malice. The poor dog seemed to be more shaken up than she was.

She took a moment to center herself before ushering Missile from her lap and standing. Her knees shook, but she tried her best to hide it. Without her senshi healing, she was sure she would have been dead at this point. She was impressed with Naru for making it as far as she had. Unfortunately, she hadn't found the others, and now that she was this far, she couldn't turn back without them. She had the camera, which meant she could fight, which was more than she could say for the others.

"Are you okay?" Missile asked, nudging her leg with his cold nose.

She mustered up a smile for the dog. "Of course. Do I not look like it?"

He blinked several times, and suddenly, he reminded her of Haruka whenever she asked a loaded question. She chuckled and walked down the hallway. "I'm fine, Missile. Nothing a bit of sleep won't fix." She pulled out the photo she'd stashed in her bag. "Remember where this is?" she asked, in hopes of distracting him.

"I got it, I got it!" He bounded off down the hall, his tail wagging, and Michiru followed. They entered the fireplace room together, and while Michiru did a quick scan of the room, Missile bounded straight for the lion mask on top of the dresser. "I found it!"

Well, nothing had come out and attacked him, but then again, Naru hadn't been overly interested in him either. She paused another moment in caution before walking over to him. "You did." Indeed, there was the lion mask, and just under it was something red that she could have sworn wasn't there before. She hooked her fingers under the mask, picking it up with difficulty (it was stone, she could now testify to that) before setting it down on a nearby dresser. Where the mask had once sat was a red hand-mirror, one that looked like it would fit perfectly in the stand from earlier.

"I think I know where this goes," she told Missile, and he yipped happily, following her as she walked back to the hallway. She turned the corner, and suddenly, Missile was growling again and her breath was stuck in her throat. The closet door in the hallway, which she'd contemplated breaking down with one of her attacks, was open, Naru's top half on the shelf. Her legs were nowhere to be found. Frozen in stunned silence, Michiru stared, knowing that she should take out the camera but her body wasn't cooperating. Naru was still. After a moment, she vanished, and the closet door slowly closed.

Michiru walked forward, her body carrying her almost subconsciously towards the closet door. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, but she kept them open as she slowly reopened the closet door.

There was nothing there.

She wasn't about to fall for that again. Dropping the mirror into her bag, she took out the camera, but the filament was dark. She glanced around, and Missile brushed against her leg. "I don't feel anything," he said.

Other than the normal prickling of her sixth sense, neither did she. After one more minute of caution, she dropped her defenses. "I guess that works," she murmured. After a moment, she remembered what she had come here for. "The hand-mirror. Right," she said, heading for the door from earlier. It was interesting that the first obstacle she had found had a mirror puzzle, since her talisman was the Deep Aqua Mirror. It was quite the coincidence, if it was indeed coincidence.

The warbling sound was as strong as ever as she entered the room with the folding screens. She ignored it, walking over to the mirror stand. She fished in her bag for the red hand-mirror, wondering what would happen if she put her own talisman in the hole before deciding that it wouldn't fit anyways, and placed the item on the stand. As soon as it was settled, something clicked, and a drawer of the dresser shot open, barely missing her abdomen. Inside was a picture and a bronze key.

The key!

Michiru reached for it automatically, but froze when Missile began to growl again. "We've got company!" he said, and Michiru was already turning, the camera in her hands. Naru moved towards her quickly, but this time, she was ready. The runes lit up, and she took the picture, satisfied when Naru recoiled, not so satisfied when she disappeared only to reappear a few feet away. It seemed as though she could teleport, although why she was just now using this power, Michiru wasn't sure. Still, she couldn't let it get to her. Calmly, she centered the view on Naru again, and waited for the runes to charge up, taking another picture when they had.

Naru fell backwards again and disappeared, but Missile was still growling. After a moment, when she hadn't reappeared again, Michiru looked around. The tiny glimpse of red in the corner of her vision made her gasp and do a full 180, Naru's hand coming inches from her face as she dodged. Naru wasn't about to let that deter her, however. She took a few more swipes at the senshi, Michiru staying just out of her grasp.

Michiru raised the camera, but it was no use. Snapping a picture in the split second between Naru's attacks seemed to make little to no difference, since the runes weren't able to charge.

And then Naru grabbed her.

Immediately, Michiru's knees gave out. Senshi healing was fast, but not that fast, and Naru had done some serious damage already. She sprawled on the floor, trying to raise her limbs, but her hands shook as she tried to get an even shot. Her vision was fading, and her heartbeat was loud in her ears. Slowly, the feeling in her body started to drain away, and Naru's face hovered above hers, the girl's face frozen in a scream. Her eyelids became heavy, and she fought to keep them open.

It was over. God, this was going to kill Haruka. She'd blame herself for not going with Michiru, and then she'd get depressed, leading Usagi to become more worried . . .

And then Naru's face disappeared.

Her vision was dim already, but she knew she had been able to see Naru's face before. Now she was staring up at the wood-paneled ceiling, which was slowly getting clearer. After a moment, she realized that Missile was barking, and she could feel his fur next to her foot. With effort, she raised her head, her vision focusing just enough for her to realize that somehow he was repelling the spirit back.

The dog sucked in a breath, and Naru lunged in, getting within inches of him before he started again.

She couldn't let Missile take this on. Her fingers closed around the camera again, and she raised it, her arms trembling with the effort. The runes began to charge, and finally, after what felt like forever, all four were lit up. Michiru took the shot, and Naru flinched back before vanishing completely.

The sound of panting was the only thing in the room for a full minute, both on Michiru and Missile's parts. Missile had curled up against her side as soon as the danger had passed, whimpering, and it was taking most of her strength to stroke his head in reassurance. "Can you make sure nothing comes in for a few minutes?" she asked him, and he gave a small bark in affirmation, remaining snuggled up against her.

There was no way she could continue on. Whatever was here was far too much for her to handle alone, especially without her senshi powers to rely on. As soon as she felt strength returning to her limbs, she raised her wrist, opening the cover to her senshi communicator. Again, it automatically dialed Uranus, and after a moment, Haruka spoke. "_Michi?_"

Her voice was strained, and Michiru went cold. "What's wrong?"

"_We may have gotten a little lost after Usagi drove us off a cliff. . . And the little princess may have sprained her ankle. . ._"

"You did what?" The retort came out sharper than she had intended in her fatigue, but Haruka didn't seem to notice.

"_Yeah. She crashed the car, and there was no cell service, so we decided to walk towards town, but she twisted her ankle, so we haven't really been able to get far._"

"Dammit, Haruka, I asked you to keep her distracted for one day!"

"_I know! This wasn't supposed to happen, I just . . . Hold on, where did she just hobble off to on her own?_"

"Just find her and get someplace safe." It wouldn't do any good for them to get angry at one another, even though Michiru felt stressed and tired and was at the end of her rope. "I'm coming back, so once I manage to get out of here, I'll head your way." Luckily, the senshi communicators had location services, so she wouldn't have to try to find her based on Uranus's energy.

Haruka gave a long sigh. "_You sound tired yourself._"

"There's something going on here that I don't understand, but I don't know that I can take it on alone. Our senshi powers don't work against it."

"_Are you hurt?_"

"No," Michiru lied. "Just tired from all of the running. I have one more thing that I need to see about, and then I'll head your way." Internally, Michiru despaired at the idea of trudging back through the Himuro Mansion, let alone all the way back to the car, but she couldn't stay here on the floor forever. "Let me know when you find the princess."

"_Will do. Stay safe._"

"You too." Michiru closed the cover on her communicator, closing her eyes for another few minutes. She just wanted to sleep on the floor forever. Her whole body ached from the confrontations she'd had with Naru. Finally, she roused herself from the floor, Missile standing with her. She walked over to the drawer, picking up the bronze key before looking at the photo.

Naru was posed with the traditional peace sign, but there seemed to be a rope wrapped around her neck, one end coming from the ceiling. Michiru shuddered. She pocketed the photo as proof to show Haruka later and then turned towards the door. "Just one more thing to do, and then we'll get out of here, okay?" she said to Missile.

The dog whimpered. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"It won't take long. But I wouldn't feel right just leaving my friend here." Now that she had the key to the door Motoki had gone through, she had to at least try to look for him. With a deep breath, she walked through the hallway, Missile at her heels.

She made it back to the fireplace room without trouble, and had just started up the stairs when the ground shook. Michiru had been a native of Tokyo her entire life, so earthquakes weren't generally the worst thing in the world, but with the questionable stability of the Himuro Mansion, it was hardly safe. She glanced around. There were no tables or anything heavy to hide under, so she picked up Missile and ran towards the interior wall, curling around the dog. "What's happening?" he asked, burrowing his head into her neck.

"Just an earthquake. Don't panic," she said, her voice cracking as the sound of wood splintering cut through the air.

The quake lasted a few minutes, and Michiru stayed curled up for a few more afterwards. Luckily, almost nothing had been disturbed other than some of the books being thrown from the bookshelf across the room (that lion mask hadn't budged at all, unsurprising after how heavy it had been). That being said, she thought of the entrance and her heartbeat quickened. It had been in bad shape before. If she was going to get out, she needed to go _now_. Keeping her hold on Missile despite the dog's squirming, she walked out of the room, her flashlight out again as she tried to avoid the debris that had fallen in the Rope Hallway. Finally, she got to the foyer, and her heart sank fully.

The front steps had completely collapsed, and one of the support beams had fallen across the entrance.

She was stuck in the Himuro Mansion.

"Guess we've got no choice now but to keep going, hm?" she asked Missile, setting him down finally as she looked at her former escape route.

* * *

><p><strong>AN ::**

**Melody Canta ::**

**Got enough questions yet?**

**This chapter took a lot longer to write, but hey, it's ridiculously long for my standards, and it has Missile! For those of you who are new to our fanfics, Missile is from Ghost Trick, and he kind of makes an appearance just about everywhere.**

**My apologies for the Japanese title, but it makes more sense in Japanese than it does in English, and when I was trying to figure out what to name this chapter, it was all that was coming to mind.**

**This chapter was hell to write, just saying. Hopefully the rest of these get better.**

**If you read the first chapter when it was posted, you're probably wondering about Unazuki! Unfortunately, for clarity's sake, she's been cut, so I'm fixing the prologue now to cut her out. **

**Japanese Notes:**

**Etai no chinai (得体の知ない****) :: This was the original name for the chapter. Literally translated, it means something like, "no knowledge of the true character". Weblio cites a synonym as "mysterious," but it's really just an unknown. Himuro Mansion is definitely an unknown entity, which is why this chapter title really stuck out to me.**

**Henshin (変身****) :: Metamorphosis/transformation. The wands used for transformation are called Henshin wands, I believe.**

**Shikola Krasno ::**

**Oy vey, right?**

**Going to have to admit: my knowledge of all things Sailor Moon pales in comparison to Melody's, which may make for some interesting differences between our stories.**

**On a fun note, some of this chapter was influenced by our actual playthrough of Fatal Frame! When Missile sensed something on the other side of the door when Michi had to head out of the room, I immediately recognized the moment from the game! Unlike Calling where we each took turns playing and following a guide (not an easy game to get through without help), we had a much simpler way to go about Fatal Frame that emerged from that part of the game. What had happened was that, while leaving a room, a ghost appeared behind the character when Melody was playing. Instead of continuing to leave the room, she turned around and got effectively man-handled by the guy, walking through him repeatedly until she died. Thanks to that and a lovely display of my lack of directional knowledge (I could NOT navigate those games to save my life), Melody was put in charge of navigation and I was in charge of fighting ghosts. It worked, but not as effectively as I would have liked (I'll save those stories for later).**

**Back on track. . . Missile! He's really becoming our go-to helper. Whenever we're worried about characters talking to themselves for too long, we have a tendency to throw Missile into the picture. Simply put: Missile solves all our problems simply because he is Missile. There's really no more sense to make of him. If you're curious as to just how adorable he is, look up Ghost Trick Missile and you'll see part of why we love him so much. Unfortunately for me, because Missile will be with Michi, I won't have him with Ruka. I've already come up with a solution for this, though, so you'll just have to sit tight and wait for that one (and yes, she will have Usagi around sometimes. Usagi's going to wander off often, though).  
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**Ummm, as for Himuro Mansion, there's a lot going on, no? If anybody needs a refresher (like I certainly did): Umino is swirly glasses and Naru is Usagi's old school friend. I hope that it's not too difficult to keep up with this one. Please ask any questions you feel the need to! The Sailor Master (Melody) will be more than willing to clarify, and I can always attempt at what I know.  
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